The invention relates to a hardtop vehicle roof, which is movable between a closed position in which it covers an interior vehicle space and an open cabriolet position in which the roof is folded into a storage compartment behind the vehicle interior space.
DE 44 45 580 C1 discloses a two-part vehicle roof with a front roof part and a rear roof part into which a rear window is integrated. By way of a common operating mechanism the front and the rear roof parts are movable between a closed position in which the vehicle interior is covered and an open cabriolet position in which the two roof parts are deposited in a storage compartment behind the interior vehicle space. The front and rear roof parts as well as the rear window are disposed in the storage compartment on top of one another. Since both roof parts extend essentially over the whole width of the vehicle the storage compartment must be as wide. The storage compartment is part of the trunk so that in the cabriolet configuration the usable, freely available trunk space is substantially reduced in the transverse as well as in the longitudinal direction.
DE 296 01 330 U1 discloses a hardtop vehicle roof wherein, in the cabriolet configuration, the roof parts are to be deposited in a storage compartment behind the vehicle interior. The vehicle roof comprises two roof parts, which are arranged in parallel in a roof opening. The two roof parts are not connected to the vehicle body by a kinematic roof operating mechanism by which they can be moved relative to the vehicle body but are to be inserted manually into the roof opening or to be removed therefrom. An automatic opening and closing is not possible with this vehicle roof. A storage position of the roof parts is not part of DE 296 01 330 U1 and is not disclosed.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a hardtop vehicle roof, which, in a cabriolet configuration of the vehicle in which the hardtop roof is removed, can be stored in the vehicle while requiring only a small storage space.
In a hardtop vehicle roof comprising at least two roof parts which are movable between a closed position in which roof covers the interior space of the vehicle and an open position in which the roof is disposed in a storage compartment behind the interior vehicle space, the roof parts are separated from each other along a separation line extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and are fitted when the roof is open, into the storage compartment behind the interior space in a position transverse to the longitudinal vehicle direction.
Since the vehicle roof is divided in the longitudinal vehicle direction, it is possible, particularly in connection with vehicles which have a relatively short vehicle interior such as two-seater convertibles, that the roof parts are kept short whereby, in comparison with known convertibles with transversely extending roof parts, the roof parts can be made short enough to be accommodated in a relatively small storage space. Since the width of each roof part is, with the use of two roof parts, generally about half the width of the vehicle the roof parts can be easily accommodated in a relatively small storage space.
It is for example possible to store the roof parts in cabriolet configuration of the vehicle in an orientation different from the orientation they assume when they are disposed on the vehicle top in a closed roof position. The roof parts are disposed in a cabriolet configuration in the storage space one behind the other in the longitudinal vehicle direction. Upon transfer from the closed to the open roof position, the roof parts are rotated by about 90xc2x0 about a vertical axis inwardly in order to assume the position in which they are disposed behind one another. In this position, the two-roof parts are preferably disposed directly adjacent one another without any roof components disposed therebetween. In an open-roof position, the roof parts are arranged in this case transverse to the longitudinal vehicle axis behind the interior space of the vehicle and preferably in an upright position in which the roof parts are oriented essentially vertically. This position can be obtained by an additional pivoting of the roof parts about a transverse axis wherein preferably a combination of the two pivot movements about spatial pivot axes is executed.
With a transverse orientation of the roof parts in an upright position, the roof parts can be accommodated in a storage compartment which is only very short in the longitudinal vehicle direction so that the storage compartment is relatively narrow and needs only a small opening for the insertion of the roof parts. This has the advantage that no additional operating mechanism is needed for a rear cover as it is for a large storage compartment opening.
For the transfer into the open roof position, the roof parts may be moved rearwardly by a translatory movement in addition to being pivoted.
The vehicle roof includes expediently a rear window panel which, in the closed position of the roof, is at least partially surrounded by the roof parts and which is releasably received in an opening formed by the roof parts. For a particularly compact storage position of the roof parts, the opening can be utilized in the storage position of the roof parts to accommodate wheel wells of the vehicle which may protrude into the storage compartment so that the limited space available for the deposition of the vehicle roof is optimally utilized.
Preferably the roof parts surround the rear window along the side edges and the top edge of the rear window wherein the section of each roof part engaging a side edge of the window forms, at the same time, the C-pillar of the vehicle roof.
The rear window includes preferably its own operating mechanism which is independent of the roof parts or respectively, the operating mechanism for the roof parts and by way of which the rear window is directly coupled to the vehicle body. The rear window operating mechanism preferably provides for a lowering of the rear window into the storage compartment in order to avoid a collision with the roof parts during their transfer from their closed to the storage position. The independent arrangement of the rear window operating mechanism also makes it possible to use the rear window as a wind deflector when the vehicle roof is in the storage compartment, by raising the window to a position in which it extends above the vehicle contour directly behind the vehicle seats. The rear window takes on a double function as a window when the vehicle roof is closed and a wind deflector in a cabriolet configuration wherein the roof is removed from the vehicle top. No additional wind deflector component is needed in this case.
The invention will become more readily apparent from the following description thereof on the basis of the accompanying drawings.